1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device connector in which terminal fittings are connected to mating terminals by bolt fastening.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 8,251,756 discloses a device connector with a housing and a plurality of busbar-like terminal fittings mounted side by side in the housing. Each terminal fitting has a bolt insertion hole on a tip. The tips of the terminal fittings project on one surface of the housing and can be supported on terminal blocks. Square nuts are press-fit in a rotation prevented manner in nut accommodating holes on the respective terminal blocks. This housing is mounted on an outer surface of a case of a device and, the terminal blocks are arranged to project into the case through mounting holes on the case.
A busbar-like mating terminal fitting is placed on the upper surface of the terminal fitting supported on each terminal block, and also has a bolt insertion hole. The terminals are connected electrically by inserting a bolt through the bolt insertion holes and threadedly tightening the bolt into the nut.
Detachment of the nuts is prevented by press-fitting the nuts into the nut accommodating holes of the terminal blocks in this device connector.
The above-described device connector often is used in an environment where ambient temperature varies widely. Thus, the synthetic resin housing repeatedly expands and contracts with temperature changes, and the press-fit nuts may become loose. The loose nut may detach if the terminal fittings are separated for maintenance or the like and a subsequent fastening of the bolt becomes more time consuming.
The invention was completed based on the above situation and aims to enable a bolt fastening operation to be performed efficiently and accurately by preventing the detachment of nuts.